Just Today
by Morbidity
Summary: [ Miroku x Kagome ] Because just today it could be all right, just today he could stop playing pretend, just today he could smile, just today he could be happy... just today she could be his. ONE-SHOT


[ D i s c l a i m e r ] nope

[ A u t h o r' s N o t e ] This is just a cute little one-shot I wrote a while back to christen my new livejournal. It broke me though, now I'm addicted to happy!Miroku. At any rate, I'm excited to actually be contributing an M/K to the fandom because it's my favoritecoupleever. Anyway, I've been told the sentences at the beginning are choppy. Any thoughts? Also, this is rated R because of implied sex. I know it's definately more like a PG-13 but lately some canon obsessed twelve year old has been reporting all Miroku/Kagome fics that even mention sex. Honestly, there's like a million Inu/Kag fics, go read those and stop bothering people who think for themselves. Other than that, enjoy!

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He took another swig of tea. Probably the thousandth one that afternoon, and sat himself down on a rock still damp from the morning rain.  
  
He sighed. It was such a dreary day. Puddles were everywhere and the ski was a drab grey. Even though it was not long after noon, it still seemed like almost nightfall. The air did not even hold the refreshing, cleansing scent of post-rainfall. Instead the air was humid and smelt damp, not quite unlike wet dog.  
  
'What an appropriate day for a birthday', he'd thought for just about the same amount of times that he had quelled that same thought with more cold sake-laced tea.  
  
He'd left Kaede's hut not long after daybreak, despite the rain, not wishing to spend his birthday with people who never even bothered to ask when it was and if they had, wouldn't have cared anyway.  
  
But she managed to change that. Making her way down the dirt road to where he was, sidestepping puddles cutely, skirt billowing in the breeze.  
  
"Miroku?" she asked upon reaching him, "Miroku what are you doing out here?"  
  
She had her hands clamped together behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels, eyes wide and glittering with youthful innocence. He took one long look at her. He knew what he wanted for his birthday.  
  
Throwing his head back, he took one last swig of sake as if to saw 'aw hell, why not?' and, finding there was no where to put his cup, dropped it to the rock he had previously been sitting on, watching it shatter, smiling at her surprised gasp.  
  
She took an instinctual step backwards, almost tripping over a rock but steadying herself before she could fall. Her eyes found their way back to his still and completely soaked form. His hair hung limp in his eyes, weighted by the rain and lingering raindrops slid over his cheeks and off his chin like tears. He was absolutely beautiful.  
  
Her attention was brought back to his piercing eyes as he took a step forward, closing the distance between them, grasping her arm.  
  
With a gasp, she tried to back away but found herself paralyzed in his gaze. His eyes. They were almost clouded with desire and lust, determination evident in them. It was a look he'd never seen from him before. It scared her.  
  
He smirked, masking the desire in his eyes. In return she forced back a weak grin, which came out as more of a grimace.  
  
Letting her go, he turned and made his way down the road, surprised when he discovered she had followed him, skipping pleasantly at his side.  
  
He bit back a smile. What was it with this girl? Falling behind a bit he admired her curves, forcing himself to stifle an evil grin when his gaze fell to her sleek bare legs.  
  
"Miroku," she chimed, startling him out of his thoughts as she swung to face him, "you never answered my question," she finished, hands on hips.  
  
"And what question would that be, Lady Kagome?" he asked, employing his years of practice at feigning solemnity, knowing full well what question she was referring too, about why he had been out here in the rain. That was a question he couldn't answer yet. A question he'd use to his advantage later.  
  
As he expected she furrowed her eyebrows cutely and 'hmmphed', crossing her arms over her chest, knowing that Miroku was playing a game with her.  
  
And yet she still allowed herself to fall back into step with him as he continued on, not even realizing that they were going absolutely nowhere.  
  
Which surprised her even more when they stepped into the small clearing containing the bone eater's well.  
  
"Why are we here?" she asked, suspicious of his intentions, almost scared at not knowing what he was up to, watching as he coolly sat himself down beside the well, not answering her.  
  
When she was met with only silence she stalked over to him, fists at her sides, burning with frustration, "Miroku! Why... are... we... here?"  
  
At her words he allowed his eyes to slide shut, his voice pained and tired "I don't know Kagome, it just seemed like a nice place to sit down."  
  
She felt like a jerk, a big jerk. All of her apprehension and anxiety was over a nice place to sit? Sometimes she forgot there was a person under the lecher, a person under the curse, a person under the lies, a person under the forced smiles.  
  
Leaning back on her heels she mused, a frown set on her features. What a lonely person he must be, trapped under all the baggage, under the curse and the early death and the broken past. What a trapped and scared person. What did it feel like to have no one to talk to, to have no one to go to, to have no one that cared?  
  
A big jerk, indeed. She'd treated him no better than everyone else did. And for the first time that day she noticed the dark bags under his eyes, his worried expression and his melancholy demeanor.  
  
There was definitely something wrong with him, more than usual of course. And all at once, the maternal instinct that lies within every woman, no matter how dormant, awakened in her... and something even deeper than that. Something in her that cared about this broken man in front of her, something in her that loved him.  
  
"Miroku," she breathed, sinking down in front of him, taking his head in her hands, brushing the hair out of his eyes lovingly, "Miroku, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"  
  
He leaned into her hands, and brought his arms around her back, pulling her closer to him, burying his face in her shoulder.  
  
She shuddered. Being with him brought out so much of herself that she didn't even know existed. It brought out who she really was, who she couldn't be when everyone else was around.  
  
To his surprise, she just wrapped her arms around him in return, one around his shoulders and the other still playing with his hair. Everything about her was so comforting. When she touched him it felt like she was reaching into his soul, mending all the fractures, sewing all the tears. When she was around he felt happy, he felt his worries melt away, he felt like he was actually alive.  
  
And he wanted her. He needed her. Because he was a broken man with his death laid out before him. Because he couldn't love her the way she deserved to be loved. Because he couldn't hold back anymore. Because just today it could be all right, just today everything could be perfect, just today he could get what he wanted, just today he could forget about his curse, just today he could stop playing pretend, just today she could be his...  
  
Just today.  
  
He pulled back and when he did he saw tears in her eyes. Tears he never meant to cause. Reaching out tentatively, he brushed them away and she smiled.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked, in basic repetition of her previous inquiries, not being able to stand the thought of him being alone in his pain.  
  
Leaning back against the well, he sighed and picked her up easily, placing her on the ground at his side.  
  
Her brows furrowed in their usual manner at his actions, why was he shutting her out? She crossed her arms over her chest, favoring silence, knowing words would get nowhere with him if he didn't want to share.  
  
She didn't expect him to share either. Words were something that never passed between them. They were something redundant; because they told each other everything with one glance, with one touch, with one well timed sigh. Because they just read each other like that, because that's the way it had always been.  
  
He didn't want her to sulk all day however, and however cute that frown was on her face, he didn't want to cause her to be upset, that was Inuyasha's job.  
  
"Kagome," he started, evident that his normal confident tone was being forced for her sake, "Nothing's wrong."  
  
She 'hmmphed' and turned from him, "Do you really think I don't know you well enough to see that something's bothering you? Do you really think I'm that naïve?"  
  
"No," he answered simply, "I could never think that."  
  
She came to face him once more, anger melted from her features replaced with the ubiquitous concern, "Then why won't you tell me?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong," he repeated sterner, before softening at his next words, "It's just today is my birthday. It just reminds me that my time is..." he paused, remembering that she would know what he meant if he didn't say it, "and I didn't want to be around all of you because it's depressing and it brings me back to the fact that, well, that-."  
  
"That you're alone," she finished, tears in her eyes, tears for him, tears for herself and tears for the love she'd never get to know, "God Miroku, I'm so sorry."  
  
And she let herself cry as she buried herself in his chest, wondering why he was the one consoling her, why he was the one whispering that it was going to be all right, why he was the one rubbing her back soothingly.  
  
It was his birthday? She hadn't even asked. She hadn't even thought of it. She doubted one person in this world knew besides him. He was more alone in this world than anyone she had ever met. And it made her want to reach out and save him, reach out and let him know she was there, that she cared, that she loved him.  
  
She pulled back and fought off more tears as he wiped the old ones away, wanting to comfort her the way she comforted him, touch him the way she touched him, love him the way he wished she loved him back.  
  
And so she reached out, and ran one hand over his smooth, tanned cheek, and instinctively brought herself closer to him, until their bodies were flush against each other, lips mere inches apart.  
  
And she kissed him. _She_ kissed _him_. She kissed him because she wanted him. She kissed him because she needed him. And it was the best birthday present he ever had.  
  
The sun peaked out from behind the lingering rain clouds, bleeding to the surface, rays of light splicing through the grey, illuminating and decimating the remnants of cloud that dared remain.  
  
The sun spread over the land slowly, retaking all of the territory it had lost temporarily to the rain, warming the ground and drying the remaining wetness from the land, affectionately brushing the tears from the damp and weighted leaves.  
  
And so, this is how the sun found the two lovers. Its rays touching over them, lending its tender warmth, as the sun was one to often smile upon acts of love.  
  
Later, he held her to him, her head resting on his bare chest. Propping herself up on her elbows, she smiled at him coyly, cheeks still rosy in the afterglow of their lovemaking.  
  
He smiled back, in earnest. It was the first time in forever he had actually, truly smiled and he didn't care. Just today he could smile. Just today he could be happy.  
  
"Miroku, I-," she started. He cut her off, knowing her well enough to foresee that she would find a declaration of love something to important to be kept as one of their unspoken understandings, filed away in the deepest recesses of their memories.  
  
Her eyes shone with underlying concern, and he ran his fingers through her hair reassuringly, biting his lip when she sighed in return.  
  
"Just today," he said after a while, almost not able to say it, knowing it would seal his lonely fate.  
  
She nodded slightly, worrying her bottom lip cutely, before burying her head in his chest, fighting off tears, "Miroku...?" she took his silence as an answer, "Can you have birthdays more often?"  
  
He laughed, another thing he rarely allowed himself to do, deciding that he really liked this new happy and carefree him, "We'll see," he consented, joy laced in his words as he brought his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "We'll see."  
  
She woke later, alone and still wrapped in his outer robes, she noted with a small smile. Sitting up, she found her clothes nearby in a neatly folded pile, freshly washed.  
  
Assuring she was alone with a quick sweep of her surroundings, she stood and sifted through the pile.  
  
A genuine smile bloomed on her face and she laughed wholeheartedly upon discovering her panties were missing.  
  
She held a hand to her burning face. It was true, she was really in love. Tears of happiness welled up in her eyes and overwhelming pride and joy overtook her. So this is what it felt like?  
  
She dressed quickly and folded Miroku's robe, before starting off towards Kaede's hut. Taking her time, she admired the beautiful autumn day that had blossomed around her, picking a daisy or two from time to time.  
  
When she reached Kaede's hut the sun was already setting over the horizon, smile still set on its face.  
  
She stepped into the hut to find everyone positioned around a small table, devouring their dinner.  
  
With a smile, she practically danced over to Shippou and Sango, handing them each a daisy before returning once again to Miroku's side, handing him his robe, which he accepted with a nod and a small smirk that he knew only she caught.  
  
Inuyasha eyed her dangerously, chopsticks and bowl still in hand, rice clinging to his face, as she took her seat next to Miroku.  
  
Aware of Inuyasha's glare, she shot him a sickly sweet smile. A blush spread over his cheeks and he 'hmmphed' before returning to his meal.  
  
Her eyes found their way to Shippou who was sniffing the air with a confused look on his face, which only caused her smile to widen even more, if possible.  
  
Stealthily, her hand found Miroku's under the table and she laced her fingers with his as he languidly sipped his tea before calmly lowering his cup to the table.  
  
She glanced up at him, and his gaze met hers. Her eyes shone with love and happiness and for once his were the exact mirror.  
  
Lowering her voice to a whisper, she leaned in until her lips were dangerously close to his ear.  
  
"Happy birthday."  
  
_I love you._  
  
"Why thank you, Kagome."  
  
_I love you too._  
  
The sun peaked in through the doorway, offering them one last smile before vanishing over the horizon, ending the day until it rose again tomorrow, signaling the beginning of another.

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**THE END**


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